A short, first-person podcast monologue by Derek (Derrick) Cole recounting his multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis on November 8, 2012. He describes the clinical explanation and symptoms, the losses MS has caused (reduced handwriting, inability to play sports, conversational difficulty), and how that same day became transformative—forcing gratitude, renewed purpose, faith, and focus on family, service, and leadership. The episode closes by inviting listeners to reflect on their own best/worst days and to share/support those living with MS.
Chapters
Home and Life Comfort with Derek Cole. Hey, y'. All, Derrick Cole here, and I've got a question for you today. I got a question. What is the best day of your life? What's the worst? Now, before you jump in with your wedding day or birth of your kids or. Because you mean. Those are. Those are obviously at the top, right? But I want you to go deeper. Strip it down. What is the best and worst day of your life? I heard someone ask those two questions in a vlog. Just a casual job interview candidate. And. And when I heard it, it kind of stopped me in my tracks. I mean, what. What would my answer be? The more I thought about it, I realized my answer is the same for both. November 8, 2012. The day I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Now, that sounds. That sounds strange, but the best and the worst. Hear me out. I know it sounds strange. Let's start with the worst day. That day, the doctor said I had ms, an incurable, degenerative condition where my immune system attacks the nervous system. Basically. Basically, your body is fighting itself. That's why you hear my slurring and some of the words. That's part of the mess for me. The doctor explained it all. The immune system attacks the myelin sheath that disrupts the signals between your brain and your body. You may have fatigue, numbness, spasms, emotional changes, pain. I mean, you hear all this, and, you know, you sit there like, okay, I was sitting there. I was like, all right, we got it. We got it diagnosed. We got it. All right, what next? What do you do now? What do you. What? You know, I'm ready. Let's go. Then they tell you there's no cure. It hits you kind of hard, you know, it's like the ground beneath your feet cracks open. And you wonder, what does life even look like going forward? It's hard. But that very same day, it also became one of the best days of my life. Because that diagnosis opened my eyes. It forced me to slow down, to see every day as a gift. It gave me a new perspective I would have never had otherwise. Mississippi became a great teacher. It taught me how to appreciate the good days and a good day. Now it's not about being perfect. It's about being. It's about it being manageable. It's about walking without pain. It's about walking without pain and without dizziness, being able to work, laugh with my family, serve the Lord. That is a good day. Now I can't. I used to do a lot of writing, a lot of handwriting. I can't write like I used to. I can barely even write at all. I played sports growing up. I played almost every sport. I can't play basketball any longer. I can't play baseball. I can do a little bit of golf until the sun comes out, but when that sun comes out, I go in. But I still love driving the golf cart. I love the scenery. I can't hold long conversations without effort. But I can still do things that matter. I can serve Jesus. I can love my wife. I can raise my son. I can lead our team. I can share this message. So yes, Mississippi brought pain. Still brings pain. It brought loss. Still brings loss every day. You know, sometimes to go back and look at my videos from 2016, 2017, 2018, and I look at it in mourn because that version of Derek will no longer exist. But it also brought perspective, gratitude and purpose. So the best day and the worst day of my life is the same day. But now I want to ask you, what are your days? What's the best day of your life? What's the worst? Take a moment, reflect, think it through. You might just find, like me, maybe they're the same day. What's yours? What's yours? Thank you for listening. If this touched you, I love you. To share it with someone going through a tough season. And if you or someone you love is living with ms, know this, you are not alone. Home and life comfort with Derek Cole.
